Gulf of Trieste and the Libyan coastline of Gulf of Sidra is about 1,900 kilometres

(1,200 mi). The water temperatures are mild in winter and warm in summer and give
name to the mediterranean climate type due to the majority of precipitation falling
in the cooler months. Its southern and eastern coastlines are lined with hot
deserts not far inland, but the immediate coastline on all sides of the
Mediterranean tends to have strong maritime moderation.

The sea was an important route for merchants and travelers of ancient times,
facilitating trade and cultural exchange between peoples of the region. The history
of the Mediterranean region is crucial to understanding the origins and development
of many modern societies. The Roman Empire maintained nautical hegemony over the
sea for centuries.

The countries surrounding the Mediterranean in clockwise order are Spain, France,
Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania,
Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and
Morocco; Malta and Cyprus are island countries in the sea. In addition, the Gaza
Strip and the British Overseas Territories of Gibraltar and Akrotiri and Dhekelia
have coastlines on the sea.

Contents
1 Names and etymology
2 History
2.1 Ancient civilizations
2.2 Middle Ages and empires
2.3 21st century and migrations
3 Geography
3.1 Marginal seas
3.2 Extent
3.3 Coastal countries
3.4 Exclusive economic zone
3.5 Coastline length
3.6 Coastal cities
3.7 Subdivisions
3.7.1 Other seas
3.7.2 Other features
3.8 Ten largest islands by area
3.9 Climate
3.9.1 Sea temperature
4 Oceanography
4.1 General circulation
4.2 Other events affecting water circulation
4.3 Climate change
5 Biogeochemistry
6 Geology
6.1 Tectonics and paleoenvironmental analysis
6.1.1 Messinian salinity crisis
6.1.2 Desiccation and exchanges of flora and fauna
6.1.3 Shift to a "Mediterranean climate"
7 Paleoclimate
8 Biodiversity
9 Environmental issues
9.1 Natural hazards
9.2 Invasive species
9.2.1 Arrival of new tropical Atlantic species
9.3 Sea-level rise
9.4 Pollution
9.5 Shipping
9.6 Tourism
9.7 Overfishing
10 Gallery
11 See also
12 References
13 External links
Cyprus[f] (/ˈsaɪprəs/ (About this soundlisten)), officially called the Republic of
Cyprus,[g] is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It is the third
largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean[12][13] and is located
south of Turkey; west of Syria; northwest of the Gaza Strip, Israel, and Lebanon;
north of Egypt; and southeast of Greece. The country's capital and largest city is
Nicosia.

The earliest known human activity on the island dates to around the 10th millennium
BC. Archaeological remains from this period include the well-preserved Neolithic
village of Khirokitia, and Cyprus is home to some of the oldest water wells in the
world.[14] Cyprus was settled by Mycenaean Greeks in two waves in the 2nd
millennium BC. As a strategic location in the Eastern Mediterranean, it was
subsequently occupied by several major powers, including the empires of the
Assyrians, Egyptians and Persians, from whom the island was seized in 333 BC by
Alexander the Great. Subsequent rule by Ptolemaic Egypt, the Classical and Eastern
Roman Empire, Arab caliphates for a short period, the French Lusignan dynasty and
the Venetians was followed by over three centuries of Ottoman rule between 1571 and
1878 (de jure until 1914).[15]

Cyprus was placed under the UK's administration